Record-breakers - Whale And Dolphin Conservation

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Whales and dolphins are some of the most remarkable creatures to be found on the planet. They not only represent some of the largest, but also have within their number the most ambitious commuters and deepest divers in the world. Here are some of the records they hold!

WDC - cetacean consultant to Guinness World Records

Largest whale? | Longest migration? | Biggest brain?

Which whale is the deepest diver?

The Cuvier’s beaked whale is the ocean’s deep diving champion. The longest dive recorded was by a whale that held his or her breath for a phenomenal 222 minutes (3 hours and 42 minutes). The deepest dive recorded by a Cuvier's beaked whale is 2,992m (just under 3km or 2 miles) below the surface of the ocean in southern California.

Which whales is the top predator?

At the very top of all food chains or food pyramids are carnivores. The absolute top, gold-medal winning oceanic predator, above sharks even, is a dolphin – the orca. Orcas have even been recorded attacking and killing great white sharks so they can eat their energy-rich livers. The only predator orcas really have to fear are humans.

Which whale eats the most?

Sperm whales are the biggest creature with teeth on Earth; the blue whale is much bigger, but is toothless. Male sperm whales are quite a bit bigger than females and grow to 18m (60ft) in length and weigh up to 57 tonnes (57,000kg). Sperm whales mostly hunt prey found on or near the ocean floor; giant, large and medium-sized squid are their favourite food.

Which whale has the largest mouth?

The Bowhead whale, which lives in the arctic, has the largest mouth in the world; measuring 5m (16ft) long, 4m (13ft) high and 2.5 m (8ft). Their mouths are steeply arched to accommodate their long baleen plates. When feeding, bowheads open their mouths and skim through the water. As the water flows through their mouths, it passes through the baleen and food (tiny crustaceans) gets trapped on the plates. Bowheads use their huge, thick, muscular tongues, which weigh about 900kg to wipe off the prey caught in their baleen plates, ready for swallowing.

Amazing facts

Longest lived years (bowhead whale) Record grey whale migration kilometres in 172 days Loudest sound decibels (sperm whale) Biggest heart kilos (blue whale) Deepest dive metres (Cuvier's beaked whale) Record weight tonnes (blue whale) More figures

Which dolphins are the best gymnasts?

Dolphins are the best marine gymnasts in the world; the most impressive acrobats are dusky, spinner and striped dolphins.

Dusky dolphins are fast, active swimmers and are famous for their high, complex leaps and group leaping sessions. They perform amazingly high jumps, flips, and twists. Experts think dolphins leap for a number of reasons; as a social activity, to scout for food or just to have fun. Six or more duskies can launch simultaneously in a small patch of ocean, each heading in a different direction, yet seemingly very much in tune with one another – they are definitely the greatest of all showmen!

Spinner dolphins are best known for their aerial displays of leaping and spinning. No other dolphins except for the Clymene dolphin, spins like this and only spinner dolphins complete several full body rotations (barrel rolls) during mid-flight before slapping back down on the surface. Spinners can leap up to 14 times in a row and a single spinning leap can include as many as four body revolutions. Spinners can also somersault head over tails.

Striped dolphins also deserve a mention here they are also skilled acrobats. They are active fast swimming dolphins who can leap 6 or 7m (20 – 23ft) above the surface, they are capable of amazing acrobatics including somersaults, tail spins and backward flips. Striped dolphins display a unique acrobatic behaviour called roto-tailing; they make high arcing jumps while rapidly rotating their tail which gives them extra thrust!

A spinner dolphin

Which whale has the biggest heart?

A fully grown blue whale’s heart can weigh up to 455kg (1000lbs or 0.46 tonne) which is the same as a fully grown male polar bear or a concert grand piano. For comparison, a human heart weighs up to a measly 350g (0.77lb) about the same as a 4-week old kitten or a can of tomato soup. Several museums around the world have full- size models of blue whale hearts, which are as tall as an adult man and show that the aorta (main heart artery) is big enough to fit a person inside!

A blue whale’s heart beats only 8 to 10 times per minute and circulates 5300 litres or 9326 pints of blood around the whale’s body. A human heart beats 60 to 80 times per minute and circulates 4.5 - 5.5 litres (8 - 9.6 pints) of blood around our bodies.

Which whale has the biggest tongue?

A blue whale weighing 60-70 tons (and the largest blue whales can double this weight) has a 3 tons tongue. It is by far the largest tongue in the animal world.

Which whale has the largest testicles?

The male right whale has the largest testicles (and penis) in the world. An average right whale penis measures 2.3m (7.5ft) long and the testicles together weigh almost a tonne (1000kg)!

Which is the longest living mammal?

Bowhead whales live all year around in icy-cold Arctic waters. They are slow moving and slow-growing whales and do not reach sexual maturity until they are 20 to 25 years old. Scientists believe bowheads can live longer than humans and are the longest-lived of all mammals. The maximum lifespan for bowheads is currently unknown, but multiple lines of evidence including stone harpoon tips found embedded in bowhead blubber from failed attempts by whalers and detailed analysis of their eye tissues, point to bowheads being able to live for at least 150 years and quite possibly over 200 years.

A bowhead whale killed in 2007 by Eskimos was found to have carried a harpoon point in its neck for more than a hundred years. Experts matched the harpoon to a New England factory which was making these harpoons around 1880. Assuming this bowhead was an adult when an attempted hunt lodged the harpoon point, if the bowhead was 20 years old when first hit, that would make the whale 127 years old (minimum) when hunted in 2007.

Which whale has the biggest baby?

Blue whales give birth to the biggest and heaviest babies in the world. At birth, a blue whale baby measures 6 – 8m (20 - 23ft) long; and weighs between 6000 and 7900lbs (up to 3583kg or 3.5 tonnes) this is similar to the weight of a fully grown female Asian elephant.

The baby feasts on mum’s fat-laden milk (it is 40-50% fat) and drinks about 225 litres (396 pints) which is about enough to fill a bath, every day, gaining about 4kg an hour. This is the fastest growth rate of any creature on Earth; the baby gains up to 100kg (220lbs) in body weight every day. That’s up to a tonne in weight every 10 days!

A blue whale baby is weaned at 7-9 months old and about 15m (49ft) from nose to tail.  The mother and calf stay together for about a year in total and the youngster will reach maturity at 5-15 years old. Blue whales are thought to live for 70 – 80 years.

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